Yehudi Menuhin

Yehudi Menuhin was born on 22 April 1916 in America, but his life would map itself onto other ground. He became a violinist whose command of the instrument set a standard for the century—technique and feeling both present, neither one winning. Most of his performing career unfolded in Britain, where he eventually took citizenship, adding Swiss nationality as well. Later he moved into conducting, expanding the repertoire of what he could shape. He died on 12 March 1999, having been named Baron Menuhin and having left recordings that still serve as reference points for how the violin can sound w…